“Where did you get the idea for BAD BOYS AHOY!?”

I’m asked that question quite often. The stories weren’t actually conceived to be in the same book, though they were always connected by the characters.

BAD BOYS AHOY! started with “Lucien’s Gamble” (which, so far, is the reader favorite of the three by a large margin. *g*). “Lucien’s Gamble” is the second story I ever wrote, and his tale came to me while conceiving others. In my mind, I pictured a different sort of gentlemen’s club for my heroes to frequent, one that I would have to create. As I began to think of all the things I wanted the newly erected Remington’s Club to have, I started to wonder about the kind of man who would build such a place. Once I thought of Lucien, I fell in love with him, and wanted to give him a love story all his own.

A few months after I finished “Lucien’s Gamble”, I heard of the Lori Foster / Brava Novella Contest. A newbie to the world of writing, I didn’t know the contest had been held before. A little research, however, showed that some of the past finalists had been offered publishing contracts. The genre options for submissions were historical and contemporary. Since Brava was releasing almost all contemporaries at the time, I guessed they were in need of some historicals. I briefly considered sending part of “Lucien’s Gamble”, but I didn’t think there was a 750 word section (the max. entry) that would be understandable out of context and compelling enough to final.

So I thought of some premises I’d found interesting in the past. I’d always wanted to write a proxy marriage story. I’d always wanted to write a pirate story. Combining the two created “Stolen Pleasures”. I wrote the first 750 words (which are the first two and half pages of BAD BOYS AHOY!) and entered the contest. My entry was selected as a finalist, and later was voted the Readers’ Choice. Afterwards, Brava editor Kate Duffy called me, and we talked about “Stolen Pleasures”. She read the full manuscript and come up with the idea for the first-ever all-historical BAD BOYS anthology. She asked me if I could produce two more novellas to complete a single-author anthology. I told her about “Lucien’s Gamble”, which was perfect since Lucien appears in “Stolen Pleasures”. Then I told her about another idea I’d had–a gothic spoof.

Around this time gothic romances were experiencing a resurgence. I thought it would be fun to play with the standard elements a bit. “Her Mad Grace” is the story of Hugh, who readers meet in “Lucien’s Gamble”. Poor Hugh. He stumbles upon a dark, decrepit mansion tended to by misfit servants, and occupied by one mad duchess and her gorgeous companion.

Once the stories reached my editor, she decided to publish them in the same order that she read them in, which chronologically puts the stories #2, #1, #3. Many, many readers have asked why it was done this way. My editor gave two replies: One, she put the Readers’ Choice winner first, and Two, she read them in that order and enjoyed the experience. She titled the anthology BAD BOYS AHOY!.

As for the gentlemen’s club that started it all, Remington’s appears again briefly in my January 2007 Brava release THE STRANGER I MARRIED. (My Aug. Brava release, ASK FOR IT, is set forty years before BBA.) Since it’s a favorite haunt of my heroes, I promise you’ll see it, and its popular owner, again.

Now, let’s have some fun chatting! At the end of the month, one of the participants in the chat will win a book cover tote bag. Four others will win bookmarks and autographed coverflats.